The Spider and the Butterfly
by KarakuriPierrotForever
Summary: Summoned by a man consumed with greed Claude has become the butler for the ruined Van Buren family. Here he meets Azmaria, heir to the Van Buren fortune, who is plagued by an unnatural illness. How will this strange twist in fate change him forever? Rated for later chapters
1. Prologue

Prologue

The wind whipped through the trees as a man hurriedly made his way into the dark forest, rain pelting against his traveling cloak. Upon first glance one would assume that this man was of no prestige or influence, however, upon closer inspection you would notice the hand crafted walking stick he leaned upon as he battled the elements.

Reaching the dark recesses of the forest the man lowered the hood of his cloak to look around. His sharp eyes darting from tree to tree. The forest around him seemed to be another world entirely, the only evidence saying other wise was the howl of the wind from the storm behind him. Frustrated with the lack of moonlight shining through the dense foliage he reached into his cloak and produced a simple kerosene lantern, rummaging through his pocket he found a box of matches, damp from the earlier rain. With a groan he hurriedly tried to find a match that would light; after many failed attempts with the water soaked matches a small flame flared in the dark forest. Carefully he lowered the flame onto the kerosene soaked cloth in the lantern and gratefully watched as it instantly caught. The glow formed a modest orb of light to surround the man and a few feet in all directions. Running his finger through his disheveled brown hair he growled in frustration as he looked around the darkened forest where not even the shuffle of a squirrel running across the ground was present.

"How the hell am I supposed to find that damned spider in here? It's so dark I can barely see a few feet in front of me!" His temper rising he began to pace in an agitated matter. _No, don't let it get the better of you, calm down _he thought to himself, taking a deep breath. _Try to remember, what did those books say about summoning it? _The man stopped pacing and racked his brain for the information he had read only a few hours ago. _Dammit! What were they?!_ He paused kicking a nearby tree in frustration, wincing in pain as his toes collided with the bark. Dropping down to massage his now injured foot his eyes landed on a large clump of spider webs across the tree's roots. _Right, first you have to get it's attention. _Reaching down he took some of the webs from the roots, grimacing as they stuck unpleasantly to his fingers, with a shudder he placed the webs on his face and shouted into the night. "Hoheo Taralna, Rondero Tarel!"

He waited, looking around for any sign of movement. The last of his words died away and he stood there waiting. Only silence answered him.

"Dammit! I should have known it was a hoax!" he tore away the spider web, thoroughly embarrassed and enraged that he actually believe those ridiculous books, let alone actually perform what they had said, as he was about turn around to leave a cool voice sounded behind him. "And who are you? What gives you the right to summon me?" The detached male voice asked with a bored.

The man whipped around trying to find the origin of the voice, quickly become dizzy as he spun around. "My name is Rudolph Van Buren! And I am here to form a contract!" There was silence for a moment and an audible sigh followed.

"And why should I form a contract with you?" the voice asked

Rudolph stood there for a moment as if pondering the question, his eyes closed for a moment but when they opened again they were full of pride. "I am part of the great Van Buren family, while it is currently in ruins because of my foolish brother, I will bring it back to it former glory! That is why I require a contract, there is still one barrier that I need to remove."

From the shadows a gold and black spider eyed him quizzically, pondering. "Well! Give me your answer demon! I will not stand here forever!" Rudolph shouted after met with silence once again.

"You will stand there however long I feel like making you stand there," the demon said a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. "You are in **my **place, I am **not** in yours. You came to **me**; I did **not** come to you." one of the spiders yellow striped legs tapped agitated on a web.

Rudolph flinched, all previous vibrato gone.

The spider smirked to itself. "Now, as to your request. I will accept your contract."

Suddenly the world around Rudolph was pitch black as the flame that was creating light was snuffed out, Rudolph looked around wildly as he heard the sound of crunching as feet landed on the leaf scattered floor. The once deadened flame flared up with surprising strength and Rudolph dropped the lantern in surprise. A loud clank sounded as it hit the ground violently, the once tame flame surged out of it's captivity and created a wide ring around Rudolph. Shaking he looked up and saw a tall man step over the flames and come towards him. "W-who the hell are y-you!" Rudolph yelled shakily. "I am the demon you wish to form a contract with. You may call me whatever name you choose." the demon spoke adjusting the glasses on his face. Walking closer to Rudolph he touched the mans chest just over his heart, where a seal burned brightly into Rudolph's skin. Backing away quickly, clutching is chest in pain Rudolph yelled in surprise. After the burning had subsided, the seal darkened to black.


	2. Chapter 1

bChapter 1/b

Claudes footsteps fell on the dark red carpet as he made his way to the dining room, opening the large oak doors he entered; his gold eyes fell on the large wooden table that stretched across the room. The size of the table suggested that it could fit a total of 20 people at a time however there were only a total of 2 chairs currently set alongside it. The tick tock of the large grandfather clock placed against the wall echoed through the room as the golden hands read 7:30. Taking one last glance around the large room he made his way back out the doors and to the main entrance way turning to go up the large staircase the ran up to the second floor and then split into two landings that went both right and left. Turning down to the right wing of the mansion he made his way past multiple doors where dark rooms stood empty and silent. Stopping in front of one of the doors he raised a gloved hand and knocked. My lord, your breakfast is ready. Claude said, re-adjusting his glasses on his face he heard a groan from within the only inhabited room down this wing, taking that as a sign that he may enter Claude opened the door and made his way through the darkened room to the large set of curtains on the opposite side of the room. Pulling aside the velvet fabric light flooded into the room sending the suns light over the sleeping form in the two poster bed. My lord, do you require any assistance this morning? He said a bored tone in his voice. No, you may go. Rudolph grumbled into the pillow the thick feather pillow. Yes, my lord. Claude bowed and made his way out of the room and back down the hall, retrieving a silver pocket watch from the pocket of his tailcoat Claude pressed the knob on the top of the watch, the lid easily clicked open to reveal a simple clock face. iIt will take him a total of 15 minutes to get ready./i Shutting the watch swiftly and tucking it away he headed down the hall. At the staircase he looked up and around the mansion from the high vantage point; cobwebs and dust coated the ceiling and the chandelier that hung in the center of the large entrance way. O-oh, Mister Claude sir, g-good morning. Claude looked away from the dusty mansion as a young maid made her way up the stairs, her face showing a nervous smile. Yes, good morning Rina. he answered, this was the second time he had seen this maid and every time she reminded him of a mouse trapped in a viper pit. Her countenance didn't help deter the image either, her short light brown hair was always in some sort of disarray suggesting that she was often running her thin fingers through it in stress, her large blue eyes always were cautious and occasionally darting around searching for any sign of danger. D-did Lord Rudolph need anything? She asked her voice hinting plainly that she wished the answer to be no. Claude shook his head, No, he will be fine on his own this morning. he told her and as soon as the words left his lips she smiled and gave a relieved sigh, with a quick bow she made her way up and over to the left wing of the house. Claude watched her leave and made his way back down to the kitchen. Going through the servants entrance he entered the large kitchen, his shoes making a slight echo as they landed on the tiled floor. Hanging up his outer coat on the metal rack near the door, rolling up his sleeves he moved about the kitchen with quickness and ease as he made the final preparations for the breakfast that morning. With a sigh he crossed his arms and looked at the small amount a food that was to be set out. iThere are only two servants in this whole mansion including me. And judging by the state of the mansion alone they obviously havent had any guests in a long time./i His mind went back to when he first arrived at the Van Buren Mansion. When one walks up the large hill up to the main walkway to the front gates theres a rose garden that in its prime had probably looked spectacular and filled the air with the flowers aroma, but that was a long time ago, the roses now were all dead and their beds infested with a variety of weeds; the small gazebo in the center looked like it belonged in the ruins of ancient Rome. To the right when you reach the center of the rose garden there is a connecting path leading to the front of the mansion and to the right the guest house. While the outside of the mansion left much to be desired in visual aesthetics it was nothing compared to the guest house which appeared to be ready to collapse at any moment. Finally was the great expanse of wilderness surrounding the entire estate. Had it not been for the lack of ocean surrounding, it would appear that this place was an island in and of itself.  
Claude was interrupted from his thoughts on his current residence by the loud stomp of feet on the stairway signaling Rudolphs approach to the dining room. With a sigh Claude straightened his sleeves and exited the kitchen, removing the coat from the rack in a single fluid movement he slipped his arms into the fabric. Meeting Rudolph at the foot of the stairs Claude bowed low; giving no sign that he had even seen the butler Rudolph continued on his way to the dining room. Claude quickly opened one of the doors and waited as Rudolph walked on through, as soon as Rudolph passed through the threshold Claude swiftly went to the table and pulled out the chair at the head of the table and watched as Rudolph unceremoniously plopped himself onto the chair. With groggy eyes Rudolph looked down the empty table and irritation painted its way across his face as he tapped on the wooden table at a fast tempo. where is that useless girl? He mumbled in aggravation, the butler by his side raised an eyebrow in slight curiosity.  
Rudolph shouted and the flustered maid hurried through the doors, nearly tripping as her foot met the edge of the rug. Y-yes my lord? she stammered quickly trying to regain her balance she bowed, frightened eyes staring at the floor.  
Where is Azmaria? Rudolph glared at the maid.  
L-lady Azmaria is still in her chambers, m-my lord. She said she was feeling a bit sickly this morning Rina answered quickly with a stutter.  
Rudolph frowned slightly as his eyebrows creased together as he thought about the maids words for a moment; with a wave of his hand he dismissed Rinas words. Well hurry up and fetch her. I dont want to eat a cold meal. Startled, Rina looked at Rudolph in shock and opened her mouth as if to say something but one look at the cold glare in his eyes banished the thought from the maids head, bowing quickly she hurried away. Claude watched her leave and looked back at Rudolph as the man leaned back into his chair, eyes locked on the door as he waited for them to open again.  
A several minutes later Rina returned and held open one of the doors bowing low with a sad frown. A pale hand laid itself gently on Rinas shoulder as person Claude assumed to be made her way into the room. His gold eyes quickly looked over the new addition to this strange household. Age wise Claude had some trouble deciphering, she appeared to be between the ages of 19 to 22. The girl had long raven black hair that was in a state of disarray that gave him the impression it had just been brushed through at a rushed pace. Thank you Rina. Azmaria said in a soft voice that under different circumstances wouldn't have been heard at all but as things were you could hear a pin drop. Rina flushed and shook her head. N-no Lady Azmaria, it is my job, you dont need to thank me. At this the girl giggled and poked the maids forehead playfully, succeeding in flustering the maid even more. The lighthearted feel was shattered as there was a harsh cough from Rudolph signally for the girl to stop messing around and sits down. Azmarias eyes dropped to the floor instantly, smile fading quickly she walked over to the empty chair. Still frazzled Rina jumped when she saw she had forgotten to pull out the chair and quickly ran over apologizing as she moved the chair aside letting Azmaria sit, however the girl showed not irritation at the maid forgetfulness and merely waved it off. What have I told you about interacting with the servants like that? Rudolph said harshly. Yes Uncle, Im sorry. Her voice sound solemnly. Claude shifted in his place and adjusted his glassed, Rina go and fetch breakfast. He said breaking through the strange atmosphere, Rina nodded and hurried back into the kitchen. At the sound of his voice Azmaria looked up curiously, surprised that she hadn't noticed the new addition earlier. m sorry, Im afraid I didn't see you when I came in, may I ask for your name? She asked politely, meeting her eyes Claude was surprised that he hadn't seen her eyes before, they were certainly unusual for someone of her hair color. Not that Im really one to talk. He thought as his gold eyes meet her emerald green ones.  
This is Claude; he will be working here from now on. Rudolph said dismissively answering her question. Claude bowed low as he was introduced Then it is a pleasure to have you here Claude, I hope you like the house. Azmaria smiled brightly at him, but the smiled faded once again as she received a warning glare from Rudolph. It was then that the small squeak of wheels could be heard as Rina arrived from the kitchen pushing the serving cart to the table. Claude almost sighed in irritation at how long it had taken the maid to retrieve the food that he had already prepared; all that need to be done was place them on the cart. Walking over he picked up the platters and set them on the table in front of the two and removed the silver lids, For breakfast I have made poached salmon, mint salad, with a side of scones and toast. Not knowing what you would usually have I decided to do something simple. Azmaria smiled reassuringly at Claude, Thank you, everything looks delicious. Trembling nervously Rina picked up the teapot and began pouring the piping hot tea in to cups, when Azmarias cup was full she went over to Rudolph and her shaking increased even more, if that was possible. A small spot of the tea splashed out of the cup and onto the table cloth before Rudolph, Useless girl! You cant even pour tea correctly! Rudolph yelled at her, which did nothing to help the frightened maid, m s-s-s-s-s she stuttered backing away and looking at the ground. Uncle, you needn't be so harsh to Rina, she is just overly tired from taking care of me. Azmaria said going to stand up and comfort the trembling maid but stopped when Claude took the teapot from Rinas hands. I will take over from here, Rina. There are some dishes that need to be done back in the kitchen. Rina looked up at him surprised and bowed, her face frowned in shame. Was all she said as she exited the room, small tears could be seen in the corner of her eyes. Azmaria watched as she left and sent a frown Rudolphs way. But the man merely began eating the food before him with no reply. Why didn't you finish your dinner last night? When Rina brought it back down from your room only a few bites had been eaten. He asked between mouthfuls of food.  
m sorry Uncle, I did not have much of an appetite. Azmaria answered and Rudolph nodded and continued to eat. Azmaria looked at the plate of food before her with an expression of uncertainty on her face, similar to that that of a stray dog when food is placed before it, wanting to eat the food but scared to at the same time. Her green eyes flicked up to Claude for a split second, a flash of hope appeared deep in her eyes before she lifted a fork and took a bite of the fish with a smile, but as soon as it entered her mouth the smile faded and so did the small sparkle in her eyes. She chewed the fish and swallowed all the same. The rest of the meal was a silent one, the only sound the small clinks the silverware made as it hit the plates.

Finished eating Azmaria rose from her seat, May I leave Uncle? She asked in a dead tone. Rudolph glanced at her plate; seeing all the food had been cleared he nodded, with the permission given she turned and left the dining room the door shutting slowly as her figure exited. As the door shut Rudolph watched her go with a small hint of satisfaction across his face, he then turned to Claude. I am done eating, clean all this up and then go to the drawing room, I have things that need to be discussed. Rudolph said standing up and leaving the room. Claude bowed in response and picked up the plates from the table and placed them on the serving cart. Once the table was clear he wheeled the cart back into the kitchen, expecting to find the mousy maid he was surprised to find the kitchen empty but as he had told her all the dishes had been done.

The warm water ran fast as Claude washed the rest of the dishes from breakfast, he frowned at the slow pace he had to go in order to keep his true nature under wraps. Stepping back from the sink he scanned the kitchen and walked over to peek through any of the windows, seeing no one Claude smiled to himself a he immediately picked up the pace to an inhuman speed. Finishing the dishes in a matter seconds he looked around satisfied at his work he was about to leave when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. One of the cupboard's door was slightly ajar, iThat wasn't like that before./i He thought walking over to the open door, pulling it open he frowned as he looked around, nothing seemed to be out of place. "What's this?" there was a small vial that had collapsed near the back of the cupboard hidden by the other items, reaching in he procured the glass bottle and looked at it curiously. It was a simple glass vial, the cork appeared to have been put back on in a hurry, Claude raised an eyebrow curiously. Placing the empty vial in his pocket he shut the cupboard and exited the kitchen.

When Claude entered the drawing room Rudolph was seated in front of a large wooden desk, a number of papers where stacked neatly along it's surface. Walking over to him Claude bowed, "My Lord." Rudolph leaned back in the chair, "Good, now about what I wanted to discuss. Your main priority will be as Azmaria's main servant, that useless maid can do just the basic things like cleaning and the such. I need an eye kept on her condition and a report given to me each night." Claude raised an eyebrow at this, iIs he concerned for her?/i he thought at this surprising development. "Yes my Lord. I will watch for her recovery." However when Claude said this Rudolph gave a cold laugh. "Recovery? Ha! Nothing of the sort, if she recovers all my efforts will have been for nothing. No I need to know just how long it'll be till I have to commission a coffin for the brat." Claude wished that he could be surprised at these words but frankly he had figured it'd be something like this, from what he'd seen the girl's illness it wasn't natural. Retrieving the vial from his pocket Claude handed it to Rudolph, "Then am I free to assume that this contained whatever poison it was you were mixing with her food." Rudolph took the vial roughly and looked at it irritated. "That damn wench." he growled. "Good work Claude, had you not found this it would have been quite awhile till I realized Azmaria wasn't getting her daily dose." Claude nodded, "Is that all you wished to discuss my lord?" Rudolph waved a hand and rotated the chair back around and faced the mounds of paper once again; taking this as his cue to leave Claude bowed and exited the drawing room. Shutting the door behind him Claude readjusted his glasses, iNow I have to find that girl./i He thought with slight irritation.


End file.
